All posts tagged Senate

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., left, listens to President Barack Obama speak at the White House in February.

Associated Press

Two U.S. senators from opposite sides of the aisle are slated to introduce legislation Tuesday that seeks to ease some criminal justice rules on juvenile and nonviolent offenders—an issue that has united some Democrats and conservatives.

U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D, N.J.) and Rand Paul (R, Ky) are co-sponsoring the bill, which seeks to lesson sentencing and expunge the records of certain non-violent juvenile offenders.

“I will work with anyone, from any party, to make a difference for the people of New Jersey and this bipartisan legislation does just that,” Mr. Booker said in a statement. Read More »

Mr. Biden congratulates Mr. Booker after administering a ceremonial swearing-in as his mother Carolyn Booker looks on in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol.

Former Newark Mayor Cory Booker was greeted with applause from the floor and gallery as he was sworn in as a U.S. senator Thursday by Vice President Joe Biden.

Before the formal swearing in, Mr. Booker was greeted with welcoming remarks from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, as Mr. Booker made his way around the senate floor shaking hands and giving hugs.

Mr. Booker, a Democrat, won the senate race by 55%, with his opponent, Republican Steve Lonegan, coming in at 44%. The special election was to succeed Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died in June. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had previously appointed Republican Jeff Chiesa to fill the late. Sen. Lautenberg’s seat. Read More »

Steve Lonegan, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks at an primary election night party in August.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the latest national conservative to endorse Steve Lonegan in his bid for a U.S. Senate seat in New Jersey against Democrat Cory Booker.

Mr. Lonegan also picked up some additional spending Wednesday from a political action committee, which has been running television spots supporting the Republican.

“We see a lot of important elements coming into play here,” said Ryan Gill, president of the Conservative Campaign Committee PAC, a California-based group. “We’ve been very excited to see that the race is tightening quite a bit.” Read More »

In this Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013, file photo, Senate candidate and Mayor Cory Booker answers a question after he voted in a primary election.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker has a 13-point lead over Republican challenger Steve Lonegan in a race for an open U.S. Senate seat, slightly tighter than previous surveys, a new poll found.

A Monmouth University Polling Institute survey of 571 likely voters in the Oct. 16 contest found that Mr. Booker led with 53% of the support to 40% for Mr. Lonegan. The institute’s August poll found Mr. Booker led with 54% and Mr. Lonegan had 38% of the support—a 16 point gap.

“Monmouth University’s polls have consistently shown this race to be closer than most pundits thought it would be,” said Patrick Murray, the institute’s director.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie answers a question during a news conference Tuesday.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called a press conference Thursday afternoon to announce the appointment of a replacement for U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died Monday at age 89. Metropolis will be live blogging the announcement.

1:13 pm (EDT)

WSJ Staff

Gov. Chris Christie’s office put out a revised public schedule at 11 a.m., announcing a press conference at 1:30 p.m. in Trenton.

The race for an open state Senate seat in southern Brooklyn has turned into a fight about Nazi ties.

It started two weeks ago, when Democratic City Council Member Lew Fidler accused his opponent, Republican lawyer David Storobin, of having “ties to skinheads and neo-Nazi groups and white supremacist groups”, apparently because some of Storobin’s blog posts had been linked on such websites.

Both men are Jewish, as are many of the voters in the 27th Senate district. Read More »